In the late 1920s, the USSR intensified its international activities in the Arabian Peninsula. The rapprochement with Arab monarchies provided opportunity to study political, economic and ethno-cultural characteristics of region by organizing transit of pilgrims to Mecca through the Soviet territory and providing medical care in first-aid posts at diplomatic missions. The Soviet physicians, in atypical situation of Arab monarchies, played important role as intermediaries between royal courts and the Soviet government, serving as agents of “soft power”. The article considers causes of Moscow geopolitical interest to this region in 1920s–1930s. The distinctions of interaction between Soviet physicians and ruling circles of Hijaz and Yemen were explored. The humanitarian, cultural and geopolitical significance of these activities were examined. The article considers and explains, through optics of geopolitical approach, situational rationality that was applied by medical men when approaching treatment of royal personages despite ideological mismatch of this work with Bolshevism dogmas. The article consistently demonstrates, noting non-triviality of both locus itself and approaches to organization of medical care, how professionalism of Soviet physicians gained confidence of monarchs of Hijaz and Yemen in complicated conditions of competition with highly qualified physicians from Western Europe. It is emphasized that in conditions of Arabia, ideological attitudes had secondary importance, while such qualities as personal charisma and medical professionalism, which created solid reputation foundation for Soviet physicians, came to foreground.

medicine, hajj, pilgrimage transit, Hijaz, Yemen, first-aid post, cholera, geopolitics..